SHILLONG, Aug 13: FlyBig is understood to have told the state government it will no longer be able to operate on the Shillong-Delhi route.
Sources said it surrendered the route 4-5 days ago.
It is now up to the government to terminate the contract with the regional airline and float a fresh tender for a new player to come and explore the feasibility of operating a flight on the Shillong-Delhi route.
The Meghalaya Transport Corporation had paid over Rs 2 crore to FlyBig from December 21, 2020 to April 29, 2022.
Altogether 732 passengers had travelled by the airline during the 19 days of its operation till October 11 last year when it halted the services.
After resumption, it carried 1,164 passengers during the 25 days of operation till April this year.
As per the agreement signed with the government, FlyBig was required to operate on the Shillong-Delhi route twice a week (Monday and Friday) for three years but there were several instances when it failed to operate two days a week.
Earlier, people from Shillong and its adjoining areas were required to travel to Guwahati to catch a flight to New Delhi. So, the service provided by FlyBig had a huge potential but it failed to cash in on it.
Meanwhile, sources said the Shillong-Lilabari route is likely to be added. The service is likely to be provided by Alliance Air which operates its flights on the Shillong-Guwahati, Shillong-Dimapur and Shillong-Imphal routes.
On the other hand, the beautification work at the Shillong airport, including the installation of models of Khasi kitchen, living root bridge, monoliths etc, is in progress.
